Why the FBI does not reopen the case of the suspicious death of Mikhail Lesin? – Google Search google.com/search?q=Why+the+… Despite the rumors and counter-claims, without new official evidence, the FBI is unlikely to reopen a case that has been officially closed and ruled an accident. – The FBI has not reopened the case of Mikhail Lesin’s death because the official investigation, which it assisted, concluded his death was an accident. In 2016, following a year-long investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the D.C. Medical Examiner ruled that Lesin died from blunt force injuries sustained during a series of falls in his hotel room while he was severely intox

Why the FBI does not reopen the case of the suspicious death of Mikhail Lesin? – Google Search google.com/search?q=Why+the+…
Despite the rumors and counter-claims, without new official evidence, the FBI is unlikely to reopen a case that has been officially closed and ruled an accident.
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The FBI has not reopened the case of Mikhail Lesin’s death because the official investigation, which it assisted, concluded his death was an accident. In 2016, following a year-long investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the D.C. Medical Examiner ruled that Lesin died from blunt force injuries sustained during a series of falls in his hotel room while he was severely intoxicated. The investigation is now closed. [1, 2, 3, 4] 
Despite the official ruling, the circumstances surrounding Lesin’s death have fueled ongoing suspicion and conspiracy theories. [5, 6] 
Official conclusion
The official investigation, which included assistance from the FBI, concluded the following:

• Cause of death: Lesin’s death was caused by blunt force injuries to the head, with contributing injuries to his neck, torso, and limbs.
• Manner of death: The D.C. Medical Examiner officially changed the manner of death from “undetermined” to “accident”.
• Contributing factor: Acute ethanol (alcohol) intoxication was a contributing cause of death.
• Final hours: Evidence gathered, including video footage and witness interviews, indicated that Lesin was alone in his hotel room after several days of excessive alcohol consumption when he sustained the injuries that killed him. [1, 7] 

Reasons for lingering suspicion
The official conclusion is contradicted by persistent claims and unanswered questions, which have contributed to public skepticism:

• Allegations of a “hit”: Anonymous intelligence and law enforcement officials told BuzzFeed News that Lesin was likely bludgeoned to death and that the government downplayed the incident to avoid diplomatic repercussions with Russia.
• Neck fracture: In 2019, newly released documents revealed that Lesin had a complete fracture of his neck’s hyoid bone, an injury that a medical examiner noted is often associated with strangulation. However, the official noted it could also have been damaged during the autopsy.
• Conspiracy theories: The theory that Lesin was killed by Russian agents has been floated in the media. This is based on speculation that he was meeting with the U.S. Justice Department to trade information for protection from money laundering allegations.
• Missing video footage: Reports have mentioned a gap in hotel security camera footage during the period when Lesin was last seen alive. [5, 6, 8, 9, 10] 

Despite the rumors and counter-claims, without new official evidence, the FBI is unlikely to reopen a case that has been officially closed and ruled an accident. [1] 

AI responses may include mistakes.

[1] justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/inves…] justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/inves…] muckrock.com/news/archives/2…] rferl.org/a/of-suspicious-mi…] theguardian.com/us-news/2019…] npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/…] justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/…] buzzfeednews.com/article/jas…] reddit.com/r/worldnews/comme…] theguardian.com/us-news/2019…

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Sep 9, 2025